Where can I find some accurate and detailed explanations of the file recovery process? I'm tired of my files being corrupted or disappearing due to hardware failure and other factors. I want to learn and be able to restore them.

You should turn to people that made computer their career, true IT specialists. Personally, one of my favorites is Jeff Cochin, technology writer that's always posting new interesting articles on a variety of topics, including data recovery. He even developed such a tool himself! I'm sure you'll find this blog fascinating.